A few random thoughts.
Who is the course for? Given the cost of entry I conclude it’s for wealthy , and therefore most probably older golfers only a few of whom will be low cappers. The rest will have spent too much time behind a desk! I wonder what the membership feel about the rough and will more want to join? I’m guessing overseas visitors will be used to forecaddies and want to see their course as tough, but that’s an alien world to me.
Sean loved the various loops, but I doubt the members take much advantage of them. It’s a destination club and for some reason golfers never seem to play e.g. 22 holes. Maybe I’m wrong…
NO one else has talked about the flow of the course. I expected to get used to it but after 3 ‘big’ holes you have 3 holes which test your finesse more. Two more ‘big’ holes and then the new loop which, at the moment, feels different again. It’s only from 12 that I felt the course really flowed.
The 15th is the only hole I had real doubts about. Perhaps it was the wind direction but I seemed to have similar hybrids to 9, 15 and 17. I would have preferred a mid iron hole. Not bad but just not as good as the others.
I mentioned this to a few people and only one agreed, but I did find the grass around the greens ‘grabby’. I had much trouble trying to run the ball from fairway to green. Perhaps time will solve this and perhaps it was just part of my problems with the putter.
Finally let me just say the above amounts to little more than nit picking. What an event and what a course. I had huge fun playing there and if you ever have a chance, grab it. I can recall every hole in detail and in particular loved, 2, 3 (very subtle green, loved the pin position on Tuesday), 4, 5, 6 (Scott was right), 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 (hit green in two!) 14, 16, 17 & 18. Not bad at all!
Thanks to everyone at Renaissance Golf Design and at the Renaissance Golf Club. It was a gas.